Search in the Right Place

A Zen parable ... A man came home late one night and as he was approaching his gate he accidently dropped his key on the ground where it was lost in darkness. He walked up to the door and found that his wife had left the door ajar for him. He entered the house, turned on the light, and started looking for his key. His wife, awakened by the light and the noise, came downstairs and asked what he was looking for. When he replied that he had lost his door key, she also began to search. After sometime of fruitless searching, his wife asked him exactly where he had dropped the key. When he said he had lost it by the gate, she stood up and demanded to know why he was looking for it in the house. He calmly replied that it was far too dark outside and there was much more light inside the house.

Quite often, we only look where we can see. No matter how dark it is within, we have to look inside if we want to find our lost peace and freedom. Meditation is this process of looking inwards and finding your real nature.